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A Schedule of Condition is a kind of report that pictures the state of the adjoining owner’s property at the moment when notifiable works are about to start. It is a visual inspection of the properties that are next door and above and below the property that is going to be worked on. It is drafted to document what the property next door looks like so that any changes that might affect it can be noted and recorded. Anything that is on the adjoining owner’s side of the wall, floor, or ceiling, and that might potentially be disturbed, damaged, or knocked about is photographed and described.
If visible, the external parts of the building envelope that are most usually ‘scheduled’ include, very commonly, areas which are in close proximity to the Building Owner’s works. So, if they are carrying out a loft conversion on a semi-detached property, you will want to schedule your loft and the floor below.
Not quite. The Schedule of Condition gives a brief description of the condition that an ‘element’—like plaster, for example—or an area of the structure was in at the time of the inspection. It doesn’t give a comprehensive description of the components that make up the structure, let alone a meaningful appraisal of the quality or adequacy of the building.
Usually, it is the Building Owner’s Surveyor who schedules the condition of the part of the Adjoining Owner’s property that is at issue, but the Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor will also be present.
You will usually agree with your Party Wall Surveyor on the scope of the Schedule of Condition. You do not need to move furniture or roll back carpets. The visual inspection sometimes includes a camera sent up the chimney flue or down a drain to see the condition of these elements. The first aim is to provide a reference point should the building work on the party wall cause any damage to the neighbouring property.
After the work is completed, the post-inspection should determine whether the state of the neighbouring property has changed in any way that can be attributed to the building work. If the surveyors conclude that the work caused damage, they will instruct the building owner to make good that damage.
A Schedule of Condition is primarily there to safeguard a Building Owner against the Adjoining Owner’s unfounded claims for damages. However, it is also a powerful tool for the Adjoining Owner, as it clearly shows whether damage has genuinely occurred. If you are considering a project that might affect your neighbours, get in touch with the team today. Our panel of Party Wall Surveyors covers Notting Hill.
These reports are really the overview of any problems in a house and save a person a lot of money if you get what’s called the Building Survey. Every Property Survey will reveal if there are serious issues and problems that could lead to a lot more expensive damage if not resolved.
The expense of a building survey can depend on your requirements and the size of your property. As of now, for guidance, a level 3 survey (full structural building survey) usually starts at about £700, while a level 2 survey (homebuyer report) usually begins at around £600.
Most people seek a mortgage valuation because they think it will yield some beneficial information about the property’s condition—something like a basic, abbreviated building survey. However, a mortgage valuation is not that. It is merely a safety net for the lender.
A lender’s appraiser determines whether the property is worth the purchase price to ensure the lender’s risk is minimized. What happens if the home cannot serve as collateral for the loan?
The Full Building Survey involves a report that is written by our panel of surveyors, and it is their best work. Their equipment is state of the art may even use pole cams (camera poles) for the roofs. Because of this, your surveyor is able to see the accessible areas in an almost microscopic way to produce the most detailed report. This report might cover:
The factors that influence how long a building survey takes are the nature of the property, its size, and the difficulty of its problems. A site inspection usually requires 2-3 hours; this is, of course, a function of the property’s size. If the property is large or if you want specific trouble spots examined, allow for more inspection time.
The answer is: as soon as possible. We recommend that you get the follow-up call on the calendar within one week of receiving the survey report. The purpose of the call is three-fold. First, it allows you to discuss the report with the surveyor in a bit more detail than what may have been covered in the initial debrief. Second, it gives you the opportunity to raise any specific issues that showed up in the report that you’re concerned about or don’t fully understand. Third, it’s a good time to ask the surveyor for recommendations on next steps.
RICS’s industry guidelines suggest building surveys for properties that are large, very old, in some disrepair, or have unusual features. Building surveys are also recommended if you plan to do any significant renovations or extensions.
If you’re purchasing a relatively modern home that’s in decent shape and built to ordinary standards, then a Home Buyer Survey is an acceptable choice. If you want the assurance of an inspection and report that are pretty much guaranteed to turn up any issues that might be hidden or just hard to see, then you should go for a Full Building Survey instead.
The Full Building Survey is more detailed; it is more specifically tailored to the property your surveyor would be inspecting. It also comes with more advice on the visible defects found and on the potential hidden defects that they suspect may be present. Your surveyor will illustrate reports with photographs so that you can clearly see what has been discovered. Both the Home Buyer and Full Building Surveys describe the repairs needed, the order in which the repairs should be done, and the kind of “maintenance measures” that will be required to keep the property in good condition.
A HomeBuyer Report does include a market valuation as well as reinstatement costs. However, a Full Building Survey does not. The main reason for the differences in what is and isn’t included in the two types of reports is how focused the reports are on the condition of the property. The Full Building Survey is the most in-depth and comprehensive survey of a property that you can have done.
The survey can return one of two general results. It can say that all is well or it can return a list of defects, allowing you an opportunity to still walk away from the purchase, negotiate a lower figure, or have the seller carry out the necessary repairs.
If any major issues turn out to be part of the defects list (and major issues can mean something as serious as no basement waterproofing), then the surveyor should advise on what to do. Major issues can also mean a serious impact on the structural integrity of the building, and the conversation with the surveyor can help the potential buyer gauge how much it’s going to hit them in the pocketbook to fix it.
Looking for a Chartered Surveyor? If you are buying a property, contact us for a building survey. Our panel of CIOB, RPSA and RICS surveyors will help you with the Level 2 or Level 3 property survey you need in Notting Hill. We can also assist you in Red Book Valuations, Party Wall Awards and other services. Reach out to us today for building surveyors, valuers and party wall surveyors in London!
